worth more than gold
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: For Sam. When a new Dragon Rider finds his way to the kingdom of Hogsmeade, nobody could have predicted what came next.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.**

 _Written for Sam for Hogwarts SS… I promised you Dragon Riders, didn't I? Ily xx_

 **Word Count** \- 6801

 _Beta'd by Lo_

* * *

 **worth more than gold**

* * *

Charlie ran a hand over Henrietta's scales, smiling when she huffed a trail of smoke at him. He'd finished washing her a while ago, but she loved to be stroked, and nobody ever said that Henrietta wasn't spoiled rotten.

Her loyalty to Charlie often surprised some of the other Dragon Riders, but really, if they saw what a bloody _princess_ she was when she was in the safety of her cave, they'd understand.

"I gotta go, baby girl," he murmured, rounding to her head to stroke her snout. "There's a meeting in the kingdom, and I've got a feeling they're going to have a job for us to do."

Henrietta huffed again, this time showing her displeasure at his leaving. Charlie leant over and pressed his lips gently against the side of her snout, before he walked away towards the entrance of the cave. Henrietta swatted at him playfully with her tail, making him chuckle.

"Love you too," he called, exiting the cave onto the mountainside. He quickly set up his rappelling gear, grumbling as he made his way down the side to the ground. Usually, he'd have Henrietta drop him off at the meeting, but the King had called for a kingdom wide meeting, and a lot of the townspeople were a little wary of the dragons.

Henrietta being the biggest in the kingdom didn't help, even if Charlie knew she'd never hurt any of them unless she felt particularly threatened by them.

"Hey Charlie," Tonks called, as he hit the forest floor. "I was just about to leave without you."

Charlie scoffed. "As if you would!"

"Don't wanna be late," she replied, looking serious. It was an odd look on Tonks; she was perpetually silly and happy. "Something big is going down."

Charlie nodded. "I thought the same. Isn't often we're all called in, is it?"

"Exactly. Come on," she said, nodding her head to her jeep. "I said we'd pick Blaise and Daphne up from the other side of the mountain on our way in."

Charlie nodded, following her to the car and hopping up into the front passenger seat. He had a bad feeling about all this.

…

They pulled up to the castle gates and smiled at the guards who nodded for them to walk up the sweeping grounds to Hogwarts. Tonks and Daphne were talking quietly, and Blaise and Charlie led the way in a companionable silence.

Charlie waved to Hagrid on his way past, grinning when the large man beamed at him. Charlie loved Hagrid. While he'd never had the physique for Dragon Riding, he had such a love of dragons that Charlie always had time for him. Whenever Charlie had to go to Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, he often left Henrietta to Hagrid's care.

Henrietta enjoyed herself immensely of course; Hagrid spoiled her as much as Charlie did.

"What… who's that?" Blaise asked, nodding at an approaching Dragon. Charlie looked up, frowning when he didn't recognise the creature, nor the rider.

"I don't know," he replied. "Perhaps that's what we've been called for?"

Blaise nodded thoughtfully. "Gorgeous dragon."

Charlie thought all dragons were gorgeous, but the Chinese Fireball swooping overhead truly was a beauty.

They joined the crowds heading into the main hall of the castle and took seats together at the right hand side of the hall. It was their usual place, and nobody ever contested them sitting so close to the front of the hall.

As the dragon riders, they were usually at the very front of any battle that had to be fought. They were their front line protectors.

King Albus took the podium a few minutes later, and the chatter in the hall fell immediately.

Albus Dumbledore was a kind leader, but he had an air about him that commanded instant respect as well. Everyone knew that while he was benevolent, it was better for everyone involved if you didn't push the man too far.

"Thank you all for joining us here," he said, looking around at the people of Hogsmeade. "I know it was short notice, but a matter had been brought to my attention that I thought was severe enough to push our usual monthly meeting forward."

He stopped to take a breath and then looked to the left, where the door to an antechamber was opening. Albus held a hand out to welcome the newcomer, and Charlie raised his eyebrow when he realised it was the man who'd been riding the Fireball when they'd arrived.

"This is Draco Malfoy," Albus said, looking around the hall. There were a few whispers and many looks of suspicion.

The Malfoy name was synonymous with Great Hangleton, a neighbouring Kingdom known for its shady dealings.

Charlie eyed the blonde critically. He was small for a Rider, and Charlie wasn't overly impressed with him on first glance. He had an arrogant smirk on his face, and he seemed to stand with an air of self importance that didn't appeal to Charlie.

He exchanged a glance with Tonks and then turned back to Albus when he continued speaking.

"He's come in hope of refuge from Great Hangleton. We've all heard the whispers of the self named 'Dark Lord', and it would seem that he's decided to settle himself in Great Hangleton, where the people are open to his opinions." Albus shook his head. "I fear that in time, the Dark Lord will make an attempt on Hogsmeade, and we must be ready for him if that comes to pass. At the moment, of course, it is but speculation, and you should all be cautious but perhaps not overly worried for the time being. As for young Mr Malfoy, I'd like you all to make him welcome."

There was a spattering of applause, and Draco hopped down from the stage, approaching the Riders.

He sat down beside Blaise and turned his attention to the front.

"As we are all here, we may as well as use the time wisely and have our meeting now. Do we have any concerns or requests at the moment that need to be brought up?"

Mr Doge stood up and raised a hand. "I'm having some work done on the house and could use one of the Riders to help transport materials. I'm willing to pay 40 gold coins."

Before any of them could offer their service, Draco nodded. "I'll do that," he said, his tone haughty as he looked at the other Riders, practically daring them to argue with him.

Charlie just snorted.

A few more requests were made, and Charlie let the others take them, knowing that they probably needed the jobs more than he did. With Henrietta being the biggest of the dragons, and Charlie being the best known, he often got the bigger, higher paying jobs brought straight to him.

He tended to leave the normal jobs to his friends, and often shared the bigger jobs whenever he could too.

Charlie hadn't become a Dragon Rider for the gold. He'd become a Rider for the sheer joy of spending his days and often his nights with Henrietta and the other Dragons.

"I've a job for Charlie and Henrietta," Mrs Meadows said, smiling over at Charlie. "Come see me in the morning, Lovie."

"What's the job?" Draco asked, rather rudely in Charlie's opinion. "Perhaps someone else could perform it better."

"That'd be you, would it?" Blaise asked, rolling his eyes.

"I was the best Rider in Great Hangleton," Draco replied with a glare. "I could run rings around all of you."

"As interesting as all this is," Mrs Meadows said, looking irritated, "Charlie and Henrietta will do just fine, thank you."

Draco looked about to retort when Albus asked, "Anyone else?"

When nobody else spoke, Albus nodded and smiled widely. "Then we're adjourned. Have a wonderful evening, all of you."

…

"Well, he's going to be interesting," Tonks said, as they headed out of the Castle.

Daphne snorted. "That's certainly one word for him."

Charlie shrugged. "He's probably just trying to prove himself. We should see how he does before we make any judgements on him. He could be talented."

"He could be the most talented rider in all the Kingdoms and his attitude will still make people dislike him," Blaise said, shaking his head. "Nobody wants someone so full of themselves around."

Tonks and Daphne both nodded their agreement.

"His Fireball looks well taken care of," Charlie said after a moment.

"Yes, yes, we know you judge people more on their care of Dragons than if they're a tit," Daphne said, rolling her eyes. "But Chinese Fireballs are notoriously independent. It could be that it's taking care of itself. Do we even know where Malfoy is keeping it?"

Charlie sighed. "No, but someone should let him know about the caves."

"You really want him up there with us?" Tonks asked, raising his eyebrow. "Do you trust him enough for that?"

"Albus asked us to welcome him. Clearly he trusts Draco. For now, that means so do I."

"Well, thanks for that vote of confidence," came a drawling tone from behind them. Charlie looked over his shoulder to see Draco following them down the lawn towards the gates.

"Has Albus told you where the caves are?" he asked, ignoring Draco's comments.

Draco shook his head. "He told me to see you about finding an empty one for Elzri to nest."

Charlie nodded. "Well, we're heading over that way now, so you're welcome to join us. I'll help you find one on the mountain."

…

"Is this really the best there is?" Draco asked, looking around the spacious cave with a sneer. "Elzri is used to the best, and this… this certainly doesn't measure up to her old cave."

Charlie bit his tongue to stop himself suggested that Draco head right back to Great Hangleton.

"This is the largest unoccupied cave on the mountain that I'm aware of. You are, of course, welcome to have a look for another, but I've got to go and see to Henrietta, so I won't be coming with you."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Henrietta? Really? You couldn't think of anything better?"

"She likes her name," Charlie replied coldly. "And that's the only thing that matters. Have a nice evening, Malfoy."

Charlie left the cave and quickly made his way across the mountainside to Henrietta's cave. She was waiting on him, laid down with her snout at the very opening of the cave.

"Hey sweetheart," he greeted, crouching down to look at her. "You wanna go for a fly?"

She huffed at him and he grinned widely. "Let's get you saddled up then."

…

They flew for an hour, doing a full sweep of the Kingdom boundaries. Albus didn't insist on them doing it, they had foot guards that walked the boundary often, but Charlie enjoyed the ride out.

"Now I understand the name," a voice called, and Charlie turned to see Draco riding close by on his Elzri.

Up close, the Fireball was even more beautiful, and Charlie took a long look of him. His snub snouted face had a slew of golden spikes on the periphery, and they glowed in the setting sun.

The crimson scales alongside his body were speckled with gold that glowed the same, and it gave the dragon an almost ethereal appearance.

"She's certainly beautiful," Draco added, looking at Henrietta appreciatively. Charlie smiled, because yes, Henrietta was stunning. "I don't know why, but I didn't expect you to be riding a Horntail."

"No?" Charlie asked. "What did you expect?"

Draco shrugged. "Maybe a Common Welsh, or a Longhorn perhaps."

"Tonks, the woman with the pink hair that you met today, she rides a Romanian Longhorn," Charlie said. "Chadhil. He's a little shit."

Draco laughed, and it made him seem more… human than anything Charlie had seen of him so far. "So, where are the race courses round here?"

"We don't race often," Charlie replied. "But there's an old course set over the forest behind the mountain. Blaise and Daphne are the ones you need to see if you want to race, they both still do it occasionally."

"You don't?"

"Henrietta doesn't like to race," Charlie replied. "She's a spoiled princess, aren't you girl?" he stroked her hide fondly.

She snorted small flames and Charlie chuckled. "I'm just doing a boundary line," he told Draco. "You're welcome to follow on, learn the lines and I'll point out the spots that need checking."

Draco nodded. "You get paid for the boundary checks?"

"No," Charlie said, frowning. "We do them because we enjoy the evening flights. Albus doesn't insist on them, and honestly, they're not really necessary. The footguards keep the lines in check."

"You don't get _any_ gold for this?" Draco asked incredulously. "That's ridiculous."

"I… I don't know what Hangleton is like, but here, Dragon Riders do what we do because we love our creatures. The gold puts food on the table, yes, but it's not the be all and end all. Dragon Riding is about much more than how much you can earn."

Draco rolled his eyes. "That's weak. You can't tell me you're in one of the highest paying jobs across all the Kingdoms and you're not interested in the gold."

Charlie shrugged. "Believe what you want to believe. I know my motivations."

Draco shook his head. "Well, you won't mind if I take all the higher paying jobs then, will you?

He turned Elzri away and flew off, pushing the dragon faster and faster until they were out of sight. Charlie sighed.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's finish up the boundary," he murmured to Henrietta, patting her hide.

…

And so began a new pattern. No matter the job, if it was offered immediately to Charlie, Draco challenge for it. He offered to do it for less gold, in less time, anything he could think of to undermine Charlie's position in the Kingdom.

Charlie often laughed him off or ignored him, annoying Draco even more.

It didn't help that the jobs that Draco did manage to steal from him got less than stellar reviews.

While Charlie and Henrietta were known for being careful, for doing minimal damage whenever possible, Draco was a little more slapdash. He got the jobs done quickly, but caused more damage than necessary in his haste to be done.

Since the people of Hogsmeade were more used to the care and respect of their Dragon Riders, Draco's attitude to his jobs didn't sit well with them.

Charlie never said a word about it. Tonks, Daphne and Blaise often raged about Draco's attitude, about his arrogance and his greed, but Charlie just told them to calm down and ignore him.

He'd realised that being ignored annoyed Draco more than anything else. He was quite like Henrietta in that respect, though Charlie thought Henrietta was much better behaved than the spoiled blond man.

Elzri, on the other hand, was an absolute love. The few times that the Dragon Riders were all together, Elzri mixed with the others really well, and seemed to have taken a bit of a shine to Henrietta.

It was a shame her Rider couldn't fit in quite so well.

…

"Weasley!"

Charlie turned to see Draco striding into Henrietta's cave. He bristled, resting a hand on Henrietta's scales to keep her calm.

"I don't know how it was done in Great Hangleton," Charlie said, his voice low and calm but with an edge of steel that made Draco stop in his tracks, "but you never, ever, walk into an unfamiliar cave without the express permission of the Rider. Henrietta could have attacked you!"

"Calm down," Draco muttered, holding his hands up. "It's not like I'm here to hurt her, is it?"

"Does she know that?" Charlie retorted. "Seriously, with such rookie mistakes, I'm surprised you have any control over your Elzri."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm bored. I came to see if you needed a hand with moving the logs for Mr Doge."

Charlie shook his head. "I'm fine. Blaise is on hand if Henrietta gets tired."

Draco huffed. "How do you all cope with it here? It's so _dull_. In Great Hangleton, we were called to action at least twice a month."

Charlie snorted. "I'm not surprised with the Blacks leading the way. Nutters, the lot of them. Forever starting wars they can't win."

"I'll have you know that we won many battles!"

"Right, but how many wars did you win, and how many friends did the Kingdom lose in the meantime? Last I heard, even the Slytherin Kingdom won't do business with Hangleton anymore."

Draco leant up against the wall and kicked the floor with his toe, a scowl firmly on his face. "Yeah, well. Why d'you think I ran?"

Charlie shook his head, turning his attention back to Henrietta. She'd been stiff for the first few minutes of the conversation, but Charlie's hand stroking her side had lulled her, and she'd gone back to eating, her claws bracketing her food protectively.

"I don't know why you ran," Charlie said after a minute. "But, I think it was more than what you've told any of us. And I'm not saying you have to tell anyone why you really left… but I'm willing to listen if you want to talk."

Draco turned away. "If you don't need any help, I'm going to take Elzri out for a fly. He needs to spread his wings a bit, he's getting lazy not doing anything."

Charlie nodded and watched Draco go, feeling as though he'd just missed an opportunity to get to know the younger Rider. As much as he found Draco annoying, there was something about him that made Charlie curious.

He thought that, as brash and obnoxious as Draco portrayed himself, Charlie thought that perhaps buried deep, there was a young man worth knowing.

…

"Charlie! Charlie!"

Charlie spun around to see Daphne racing towards him, an utter panic on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, steadying her as she almost ran into him in her haste.

"Merses is ill," she choked out. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but he's refusing to eat and when I tried to saddle him up , he refused to move his wings for me."

Charlie frowned. "Alright, head on back to him and I'll be there a few minutes behind you. He's in his cave?"

She nodded. "Thank you," she shouted over her shoulder as she raced back up towards the mountain.

Grabbing his supplies from his cabin, Charlie hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders and grabbed his spare ropes. Unfortunately, Merses enjoyed height and so Daphne had the highest cave in the mountain. It was lovely up there, but it was also a pain in the ass to climb up to.

When he reached the bottom of the mountain, he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, hoping that Henrietta would come down and get him. No luck, and Charlie cursed quietly.

A wind threatened to knock him down, and he looked up hopefully, only to see Elzri had come at his call instead of Henrietta.

"Sorry Pal," Charlie murmured. "I can't fly you without your Rider."

Charlie tied himself onto the ropes that had been set up so long ago and began the climb. Elzri hovered beside him the entire way up, seemingly content to just watch Charlie climb. Charlie didn't mind the company, and he kept up an endless stream of babble, getting more and more breathless with the exertion of climbing so quickly.

When he reached the top and unclipped himself, Elzri nuzzled him for a moment before he glided away. Charlie admired his form for a moment before he entered the cave to see Merses laid out on his side against the far wall.

"Oh, you don't look good at all, do you boy," he murmured, approaching slowly. The Antipodean Opaleye huffed at him tiredly, but didn't make any move to attack so Charlie continued to approach until he was right beside his head.

His usually multi coloured eyes looked dull, and the scales around his neck that normally shimmered seemed paler than usual. Charlie checked for the usual signs of illness and sighed in relief when he saw that Merses wasn't displaying the signs of Pox.

While treatable in humans, it could be fatal for dragons, and it was every Rider's worst fear.

With gentle, comforting and slow movements, Charlie had the Opaleye open his mouth, and found the problem almost immediately. There was a tooth towards the back of his mouth that looked swollen around the gum.

"I'm pretty sure he's got an ingrown tooth," Charlie told the worried Daphne who was hovering off to the side. "Which isn't good, but it's definitely better than it could have been. Can you get Blaise here? I'm going to need him to go and see Hagrid and get some of that numbing stuff he's got for the Dragons so I can pull this out."

"You… you're going to pull it out?"

"Would you rather Merses suffer for weeks until it falls out?"

"Well no but what if he bites you?"

"I'll be fine," Charlie assured her. "I promise. Call for Blaise, okay? I'm going to nip down to Henrietta's cave and grab the pliers I had to use for hers last year."

Daphne nodded, giving Merses one last worried look before she hurried from the cave to find Blaise.

…

"What's going on?" Draco asked, sitting on Elzri's back. "Elzri practically tossed me onto his back to bring me here."

Charlie snorted. "It's nothing. I called for Henrietta earlier, but Elzri answered the call instead. Don't worry," he added, "I didn't try and ride him."

"He came to your call?" Draco asked, frowning slightly. "He's never done that before."

Charlie shrugged. "I have a way with Dragons, it happens. Anyway, Merses has an ingrown tooth, so I gotta go." Charlie held up the pliers by way of explanation.

"You're mad," Draco breathed out. "You're going to take it out yourself?"

"Yup."

"Wait, isn't Merses cave right up at the top?"

"Yup."

"Idiot," Draco muttered, holding his hand out. "Hop on, I'll take you up."

Charlie hesitated for a second before he took Draco's hand, letting him pull Charlie onto the back of Elzri's saddle. Elzri glided smoothly upwards, and moments later, was hovering mountainside for Charlie to get off.

"Thanks," Charlie said, turning towards the cave. "I'll catch you later."

Draco snorted. "If you think I'm going to miss this, you can think again. I always wanted to see someone get eaten by a dragon."

…

"I can't believe you actually did it," Draco muttered for the fifth time.

Charlie chuckled, handing over the money for the round. They'd convened at the Three Broomsticks for a well earned drink, and for the first time since he'd arrived in Hogsmeade, Draco was mixing with the group without actively trying to wind anyone up.

"That's because he's amazing," Daphne said, leaning against Charlie's side. "Merses would have been miserable for weeks."

"He'll be fine in a couple of days," Charlie assured her.

They spoke for a while about Merses, and then moved onto the latest happenings in the kingdom. Charlie couldn't stop himself from glancing at Draco from time to time. He was pretty quiet, but he seemed comfortable in a way that he wasn't often.

"Did you hear the latest about the Dark Lord whatsisface?" Blaise asked, leaning on the table. "I heard from Hagrid about it earlier. Apparently, he wants to build a _Dragon Army._ There are rumours that he's already stolen a few eggs from the Kingdoms further out."

Charlie frowned and he noticed Draco stiffening in his seat, his eyes on the wooden table between them all.

"Where has he stolen from?"

"Slytherin for sure, that's why when he settled in Hangleton, they decided to cut off all trades between the Kingdoms."

"Does anyone know if he's force hatching them?"

Blaise shook his head sadly. "I don't think anyone knows that much of anything to be honest, Charlie. It's just… if it gets worse, Albus is going to send us in, you know. He's not going to have a choice."

Charlie nodded. "We'll be ready. Do you know if Albus' eggs are safe?"

"There are guards on them twenty four hours a day."

"Good."

…

When they left the bar, Blaise, Daphne and Tonks headed over to the cottages, but Charlie headed for the mountain. He hadn't seen Henrietta at all that day, she'd been out flying when he went by the cage to grab the pliers, and after the conversation in the bar… he just needed to see her.

Surprisingly, Draco fell into step beside Charlie.

"You knew," Charlie said after a moment of silence. "About the eggs, I mean. It's why you left."

Draco scoffed but there was no heart in it.

"You don't have to tell me, of course," Charlie said. "But if you know where he's keeping the eggs… well. Maybe when the time comes, you'll make our job easier, eh?"

There was a long silence and then Draco replied, "Maybe."

…

Charlie and Henrietta hovered in midair, Charlie holding a large white flag. "You're all positive on the route?" he asked, waiting until each of the other Riders nodded their heads.

"Okay, then on your marks, set, go!"

Draco and Elzri took an early lead, followed seconds later by Blaise on his Ironbelly, Idelph, and Daphne and Merses bringing up the rear.

Tonks was waiting at the other side of the route, as a checkpoint, so she could keep an eye on them for sticking to the trail. Henrietta flew in lazy circles, huffing happily. She loved the warm weather, and it was a beautiful day.

Charlie kept an eye out for the first of the others to head back his way, and it wasn't too long before he saw Elzri speeding his way.

As Elzri and Draco crossed the finish line first, the smile on Draco's face took Charlie's breath away. He looked… _beautifully happy._

As the others approached, Tonks and Chadhil bringing up the rear, Charlie couldn't tear his eyes away from Draco. When he finally did, he met Tonk's knowing gaze and promptly blushed scarlet.

"Congratulations," he offered Draco, smiling at him.

"Thanks," Draco beamed. "God, I missed that feeling."

Charlie's smile widened. "All about the money, huh?"

Draco looked away, but he had a matching blush staining his cheeks.

…

"You like him," Tonks teased in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up," he muttered, rolling his eyes at her.

"You want to hug him, you want to kiss him, you want to marry him," she taunted. "You want to raise dragon babies with him."

Charlie swiped his hand at her, though he couldn't stop himself from laughing at her ridiculousness.

"He is particularly scrummy to look at though," she added after a moment. "If only he was… well. A decent human?"

"Hey," Charlie murmured. "Don't be mean. He's just…"

"An asshole."

"Well. Yes. But also, I think he just wants to prove himself as his own person. I mean, he did it in a really shit way but… I get it. And you know, the few times I've seen him when it was just him, or when he was on Elzri, he was okay, you know?"

"I'll take your word for it," Tonks said, doubtfully. "I guess he was okay at the race? He didn't crow _too much_ about winning, I guess."

"Yep. You're much worse when you win."

She shoved him and the two of them ended up giggling.

When Tonks started singing her song again, Charlie just shook his head. She was a pain in the ass.

…

"I know you don't like it, Sweetheart," Charlie comforted, trying to keep Henrietta's attention on him. Hagrid was trimming her talons, and she absolutely hated it. "You're so beautiful, Henrietta," Charlie murmured. "And you'll be even more beautiful once this is done. We'll take a flight tonight, okay, girl? Stretch those wings of yours?"

She blew smoke at him in a huff and he chuckled, wafting it out of his face. "Almost done, sweetheart."

"So, we might have a problem," a voice called. Charlie looked up, frowning when he saw Tonks, Blaise and Daphne approaching from the castle.

"The meeting is over already?" he asked, looking up to see people streaming out of the main doors. "That was fast."

"Hmm. Only one thing on the agenda," Blaise said. "Did you see Draco leave?"

Charlie frowned. "No, but I haven't been paying much attention to be honest. Henrietta is pissy with me already, so I've been trying to settle her."

"The only job today was from Albus. He meant for us all to take it, but Draco tore off before any of us could say anything."

Charlie stared at them for a moment before understanding dawned. "He's gone after the missing Dragon Eggs. He's gone after the Dark Lord, hasn't he?"

Daphne nodded and Charlie groaned. "Fucking _idiot_."

…

"Can you follow Elzri's trail, baby girl?" Charlie murmured to Henrietta, as he saddled up. "We need to find him as fast as we can, okay?"

She huffed at him, small flames leaving her nostrils.

"Good girl," he murmured. "Come on, let's go get the other's first."

He climbed into the saddle and Henrietta moved out of the cave, spreading her wings immediately as she threw them off the mountainside. One round of the mountain had the others falling in behind her and she pushed them forwards, following Elzri's scent trail.

Charlie gripped the saddle tightly. He had no idea where they were heading, nor what they were heading into. He hoped that Draco had used stealth to get in and out, but he wasn't holding out much hope for that either.

Draco wasn't really about stealth, the showy shit.

Night was upon them by the time Henrietta started slowing down, and Charlie took in their surroundings carefully. He'd never been to Great Hangleton before, so he was at a disadvantage before he'd ever started.

A roar caught his attention off to the left and he pulled Henrietta around and pushed her forward, the others sticking close to his tail.

The flew around a cluster of trees and Charlie pulled Henrietta to a sharp stop, eyes on the scene in front of him. It was a mess. Six or seven dragons were circling Elzri, and while Elzri seemed to be holding his own, there was no way were they getting out of that without help.

Pointing the others to go around the other side of the trees and come in from the back, Charlie patted Henrietta's hide.

"You ready, girl? Protect Elzri, okay?"

She huffed, flames already licking around her nostrils, ready to fire. Charlie took a deep breath and then loosened his hold on the saddle reigns. "Go on, girl."

…

The fight was the worst Charlie had ever been involved in. The Hangleton Riders seemed to have taken deep offence to Draco's abandonment and were being particularly aggressive in their attacks. There were guards running in on foot too, taking cover from the fire above but shooting at them whenever they could.

Henrietta held her own, taking out three of the riders to get to Elzri. Unfortunately, just because the riders were gone, it didn't stop the dragons from attacking. If anything, it made them more vicious.

Charlie was loathe to hurt any dragon, but he was also aware that if he was forced to choose between Henrietta being hurt and any of the dragons attacking, he knew immediately where his loyalty lay.

Henrietta batted one of the smaller dragons, an Opaleye, out of the sky with a vicious bat of her spiky tail, and then downed another with fire. Charlie could tell she was tiring, and they needed to find a way out of this situation without the Hangleton Rider's following them.

"DRACO!"

Charlie turned to see a man with long blond hair looking up at them. He knew immediately that it was Draco's father, and he looked around to see Draco's reaction.

Elzri had reared at the shout and was currently spouting balls of fire in the senior Malfoy's direction.

No love lost there then, Charlie thought to himself.

A scream for help got Charlie's attention and he spun around, his heart in his mouth. "GO," He screamed at Henrietta, aiming her at Tonk's falling figure.

They were too late and Charlie heard the thud as his best friend hit the ground. There were cuts all over her, and when she coughed, it brought more blood to stain her lips.

He jumped out of the saddle before Henrietta had even landed, rolling on the floor, cringing at the pain in his knee. He crawled across the grass to her side.

"Charl," she gasped out. "Charl, take… look… Chadhil. Look… after… him."

Tears welled in Charlie's eyes and he took her hand in hers. "I will, I promise," he whispered, and she nodded, her eyes closing.

It was only seconds later when her chest fell still.

…

Knowing he had to get back in the sky, but unable to put much weight on his knee, Charlie whistled for Henrietta to come closer. She nudged at him when she landed, and he forced himself up, using every ounce of his strength to pull himself back into the saddle.

"Come on, baby, let's end this."

Blaise and Daphne were still in the air, and there were only two of Hangleton's riders left. Draco and Elzri were still aiming at Draco's father, and the man himself was shooting up at Draco, barely missing him on more than one occasion.

"Draco!" Charlie yelled. "How attached to your father are you?"

Draco looked at him like he was mad. "Not at all."

"Good," Charlie replied, turning Henrietta on him. "Burn him to the ground, baby girl."

Henrietta's firepower was much stronger than Elzri's and she kept a constant stream until there was absolutely nothing left of Malfoy or the buildings he'd been ducking behind.

"Where are the eggs?" Charlie yelled, and Draco pointed over the hill.

"Go and get them, we'll hold it here. Have Elzri roar if you need help."

Charlie pulled Henrietta around until he caught sight of Chadhil circling, looking for Tonks. His heart broke for the dragon, and he directed Henrietta towards him.

Once he was close enough, Charlie shifted on the saddle until both of his legs were on one side, and he jumped, yelling in pain at the strain on his already paining knee.

He landed hard, barely gripping Chadhil's saddle, but he managed to pull himself up. Chadhil tried to buck him, but Charlie soothed him, stroking the golden horns on his head.

"It's okay, mate, it's just me," he murmured to the dragon. Chadhil settled under his touch, and Henrietta hovered nearby, her eyes firmly fixed on Charlie.

Blaise and Daphne approached, both looking worse for wear, but victorious, just as Draco flew back towards them, his saddle bags clearly full.

"There are more riders," he said urgently. "They're the second wave, they'll be prepping to send them out."

Charlie shook his head. "Let's get the fuck out of here before they send them up. Blaise, Tonks… she fell over by that wood. Can you-"

"I got it, Charlie," Blaise said solemnly.

Charlie nodded tiredly as Blaise flew off.

"Henrietta, come on girl. Lead us home."

Henrietta hovered close for a moment, blowing smoke at Charlie, her eyes narrowed. "I know baby, but we need to get out of here, and we need to take Chadhil home. Take us home, sweetheart."

She huffed again, but turned, flapping her large wings once and then again to gain momentum. Charlie guided Chadhil to follow her, barely able to see from the pain strumming through his body.

He forced himself to stay conscious, checking behind him obsessively in case they were being followed. He was startled when he saw a dragon gaining on them, relaxing only when he realised it was Idelph, carrying Blaise and…

Charlie swallowed hard. Tonks had been his best friend for so long and now she was-

He couldn't.

They made it home as dawn broke, and they'd no sooner touched down on Hogwarts lawns as Charlie's conscious finally gave up and he gave in to the blackness.

…

When Charlie woke, it was to find Draco at his bedside. The blond man held out a plastic beaker with a straw, prompting Charlie to drink from it.

"What… why are you here?" Charlie asked, frowning.

"You saved my life," Draco replied quietly. "I… I'm sorry. For… leaving the way I did. I was an idiot, and you paid the price for that. Tonks too."

Charlie felt a stab of pain in his chest at the mention of Tonks.

"You were stupid," Charlie agreed. "I won't argue with that. But… Tonks and I, and the others, _chose_ to come after you. What happened… it wasn't your fault."

"I left Hangleton because my father offered my services as a Dragon Rider to the Dark Lord. Tom Riddle is his name, by the way. He's in the wind. Run as soon as he saw me, and god knows where he went. I don't think he'll be in Hangleton for a while, anyway. I just… I couldn't do it." Draco shook his head. "He wants to take over all the Kingdoms. He's originally from Slytherin, and Salazar kicked his ass out after he tried to take over there."

"Have you told Albus all of this?" Charlie asked softly.

Draco nodded. "Yeah, soon as we carried you up here. He's contacting the Kingdoms that have had eggs stolen to come and collect them. I… thirteen eggs, we saved. Thirteen. Can you imagine what would have happened, if he'd managed to force hatch them all?"

Charlie shuddered at the thought. "Is Henrietta okay? And Chadhil?"

Draco nodded. "Henrietta is down with Hagrid and Elzri. Blaise took Chadhil up to the mountain."

"How pissy is my girl?"

"Oh, you've got some making up to do," Draco said, a hint of a smile on his face. It soon fell away. "He's not going to stop, you know? Riddle. He's going to find another Kingdom that will fall to his charm and… he's going to keep trying."

Charlie sighed but nodded. He knew Draco was right. "Well. We'll just have to keep an ear to the ground, and eyes in the skies. We'll stop him again and again until we can stop him for good, because that our _job."_

"I thought you were more comfortable here, helping the people with manual labour?"

"I am," Charlie agreed. "And I'll still do that. But… sometimes you've gotta do things that you might not want to do, because they're _necessary."_

Draco met his eyes. "I… I messed up this time, but… I'd like to help. If I can?"

"You think Henrietta is going to leave Elzri behind? You're mad."

…

"She's not mad at you anymore?" Draco asked, as Elzri flew alongside Henrietta. They were doing a boundary sweep, a nightly thing since the battle with Hangleton.

"Eh, she loves me," Charlie replied, smiling down at Henrietta. "She can't stay mad at me for long."

Henrietta huffed indignantly, making Charlie chuckle.

"You were right you know, when I first came here?"

"Hmm?"

"That Dragon Riding isn't about the gold. It never was, but in Hangleton… the best Rider was the one who earnt the most gold, you know? It was drilled into me that that was what I should be aiming for."

Charlie nodded.

"This is better," Draco added. "Riding for the love of it. Riding because it's what I was born for."

Charlie held his hand out, and Draco reached for it, their fingers just close enough to skim each other. "I'm glad you're here, Draco. I'm glad you came here."

"Even with the -"

"Even when you were being an asshole, yeah. Tonks… she teased me about liking you. She thought it was hilarious."

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "You asking me out, Weasley?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "We go on nightly flights, Draco. You think we're not already dating? You're mad."

Draco chuckled but he didn't disagree. Instead he asked, "So is this the date that you finally kiss me when you see me home?"

Charlie grinned. "Depends if you can beat me back!" He patted Henrietta's side and she took off, huffing her pleasure. Behind him, he could hear Draco cursing up a storm and he laughed.

He was glad, that even with how tense they all were at the moment, that they could still find moments to laugh.

Tonks would have approved of that. Charlie knew she would.


End file.
